The field of the invention is roof racks for motor vehicles and the invention relates more particularly to roof racks which utilize a pair of rails, each rail being held by a forward and rearward securement member, such as a tower or pod affixed to the roof.
Numerous rack assemblies have been designed for carrying items on the top of motor vehicles. Common items include bicycles, skis, kayaks, and numerous other objects. A large number of roof racks utilize a single style of longitudinal rails and typically utilize front and rear cross bars each of which are held by a pod or tower at each side. Most commonly, when attached to the roof of a motor vehicle, the pods or towers are secured to the roof by a clip which extends into the inner surface of the door openings of the motor vehicle. Because of the large number of different vehicles available, a large number of towers and clips must be stocked by the dealer to supply a majority of customers with a tower/clip combination that conforms to the shape of a particular vehicle's door opening.